Deep multi-kernel auto-encoder network for clustering brain functional connectivity data.

Journal: Neural networks : the official journal of the International Neural Network Society
Published Date:

Abstract

In this study, we propose a deep-learning network model called the deep multi-kernel auto-encoder clustering network (DMACN) for clustering functional connectivity data for brain diseases. This model is an end-to-end clustering algorithm that can learn potentially advanced features and cluster disease categories. Unlike other auto-encoders, DMACN has an added self-expression layer and standard back-propagation is used to learn the features that are beneficial for clustering brain functional connectivity data. In the self-expression layer, the kernel matrix is constructed to extract effective features and a new loss function is proposed to constrain the clustering portion, which enables the training of a deep neural learning network that tends to cluster. To test the performance of the proposed algorithm, we applied the end-to-end deep unsupervised clustering algorithm to brain connectivity data. We then conducted experiments based on four public brain functional connectivity data sets and our own functional connectivity data set. The DMACN algorithm yielded good results in various evaluations compared with the existing clustering algorithm for brain functional connectivity data, the deep auto-encoder clustering algorithm, and several other relevant clustering algorithms. The deep-learning-based clustering algorithm has great potential for use in the unsupervised recognition of brain diseases.

Authors

  • Hu Lu
    School of Computer Science and Communication Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. Electronic address: luhu@ujs.edu.cn.
  • Saixiong Liu
    School of Computer Science and Communication Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
  • Hui Wei
    Laboratory of Cognitive Model and Algorithm, Department of Computer Science, Fudan University, No. 825 Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, China. weihui@fudan.edu.cn.
  • Chao Chen
    Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai, China.
  • Xia Geng
    School of Computer Science and Communication Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.